ARMENIAN POW RENOUNCING HIS CITIZENSHIP
AzerNews Weekly
Nov 12 2008
Azerbaijan
An Armenian soldier who voluntarily crossed over to Azerbaijan has
said he was renouncing his Armenian citizenship.
Paruyr Stepanian, 19-years-old, who was born in Yerevan, said he had
fled to Azerbaijan due to the arbitrariness in the Armenian army.
Further, Stepanian told the Baku-based ANS TV channel, he would not
have joined the Armenian military if given a choice.
"There is extreme discrimination in this military, which lacks
discipline. Officers insult private soldiers every step of the way,
mock and beat them to death. They were beating us so hard that, at
times, I couldn`t hold myself back. There were situations in which
I could have grabbed my sub-machine gun and shot them dead."
Stepanian admitted that once, after sustaining a beating, he had
taken the risk and crossed over to the Azerbaijani side. "One day
I was beaten nearly to death, and I decided to go there. The place
I was serving in was very close to the Azerbaijani border. Risking
my life, I went ahead and crossed it and turned myself in to the
Azerbaijani authorities."
As for other reasons for turning for help to a country with which
his nation is in a state of war, the serviceman cited violations of
human rights and the rule of an undemocratic regime in Armenia.
"I don`t want to live in a country which does not grant its citizens
the right of choice. When I was undergoing military service, I had
no choice either. While I was on duty, a vote was cast using my name
in favor of Serzh Sarkisian [Armenian president]. Dictatorship rules
there. That`s why I have appealed to the Azerbaijani government,
saying I don`t want to be an Armenian citizen."
Stepanian further requested that the government of Azerbaijan grant
him refugee status in the country or arrange this with a third party,
such as a European Union state, with the exception of Russia, since
"Russia maintains relations with Armenia, so I don`t want to go there."
Stepanian said social conditions in Armenia are harsh and most families
in the country are currently able to support themselves only due to
the money they receive from their family members abroad.
Further, Stepanian said he had studied the history of the
Armenian-occupied Upper Garabagh region of Azerbaijan, which had
sparked a war between the two South Caucasus republics, as well as
other relevant international conventions.
"I have also studied why the war had erupted and found the right answer
for myself. I am aware that there are Codes indicating that the borders
of countries must stay the way they are. This is proven by the 1976
Helsinki document and the monument dedicated to the 150th anniversary
of Armenians` presence in Garabagh. If they had lived there prior to
Azerbaijanis, why did they erect such a monument? There is only one
logical answer to this question: Garabagh is Azerbaijan`s territory."
In Armenia, Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian said Yerevan was doing
everything in its power to achieve Stepanian`s release from Azerbaijani
captivity.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the
signing of a ceasefire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy
Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of
international law. The OSCE-brokered peace talks have not yet achieved
meaningful results.